Page 58 of Hot Chocolate & Hitmen

I can’t stop the grin that pulls at my lips as I step closer to her, my voice a low rumble. “You just kicked that guy’s balls into his throat.”

Grace blushes, shrugging as if it’s no big deal, but the way her eyes dart away tells me she’s feeling the weight of it. “Well…yeah.”

I chuckle, reaching out to pull her back into my arms, and this time, I hold her close, my fingers brushing against her cheek. “Oh, Nutcracker. What am I going to do with you?” I murmur.

She blinks up at me, her eyes wide. “What?”

“Nutcracker.” I grin, brushing her hair back behind her ear. “That’s the second time you’ve gone straight for the balls. It’s fitting.”

She lets out a breathy laugh, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of pink.

My gaze drops to her lips, and for a moment, I forget about the hostage groaning in pain on the floor. All I can think about is how close she is to me, how soft she feels pressed against my chest, and how badly I want to kiss her right now. The surge of heat is undeniable, rushing through me with a force I can’t ignore.

“Grace,” I growl softly, leaning down so that my forehead rests against hers. Her breath hitches, and I can feel the tension crackling in the air between us.

A whistle rents the air as the guys enter the room. “My, my. What have we missed?” Key quips.

“You just missed this little nutcracker in action,” I smirk as Grace blushes and turns her head away. Key and Teddy look over to the hostage as I quickly relay what happened.

Teddy chuckles behind me, the sound low and amused. “Gotta admit, I didn’t see that coming,” he says, walking overwith Key to grab the hostage and get him secured once more. Hopefully for the last time.

“So, apparently, our Sugar has a propensity to go for the balls. Noted.” Key winks at Grace, her cheeks instantly going pink as she shifts further into my arms.

“Alright, Nutcracker, want to catch us up on everything you learned?” Teddy gives her a glare that’s equal parts amused and stern.

We’re gathered in the bedroom, and it feels like the storm outside is trying to tear the damn place apart. Grace is lounging on the pillows between Key and Teddy, looking like she’s about to burst with what she’s just told us. My mind’s still reeling from her calm explanation. She got the hostage to spill nearly everything. Just sweet-talking him like it was nothing.

Sitting there, clutching a mug of hot chocolate, she casually tells us how close they’re hiding out from here.

"How did you...?" I finally ask, trying to wrap my head around the situation. She just shrugs, like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"I just asked," she says, like that explains everything. Her silver-blue eyes flick between us, utterly nonchalant. "He was scared, you guys were all so...intense. I thought maybe he just needed someone to be nice."

Nice. Shenicedhim into talking. Holy fuck, I’m rock solid. I glance at Teddy and Key, who are both trying, and failing, to hide their amusement. Of course. Key’s practically vibrating with barely contained laughter.

"Nice," I repeat, folding my arms and leaning back against the mantel. "That’s all it took?"

Grace nods, her lips curving up in that innocent smile. “Well, maybe a little food helped too.”

Key snorts, shaking his head. "She’s a genius, guys. A fucking genius!"

I grunt in agreement, but my gaze lingers on her.

Nutcracker indeed. I keep replaying the moment when she kicked that bastard square in the nuts. It was all instinct, all fire, and I still don’t know what hit me harder–watching her do it or the effect it’s had on me since. My body’s been buzzing like I’ve downed a case of energy drinks, and no amount of pacing or glaring at the storm is calming me down.

"How’d you even manage to get him in time?" Teddy asks, his deep voice rumbling through the room. There’s a softness to the way he’s looking at her, a kind of awe that I know I’m certainly feeling right now too.

Grace takes a sip of her hot chocolate, like she’s completely unbothered. "I don’t know. I just...did, I guess? It’s like, I was holding onto you," she glances at me, then back to Teddy. "And then I saw his hand with the fork, and...well, I didn’t have time to think."

"Yeah, well, that kick saved my ass," I mutter, feeling my chest tighten once again. "Nutcracker suits you."

Grace laughs, her cheeks flushing. "You’re really going to call me that, huh?"

Key nudges her with his elbow, his grin wide and mischievous. "Hell yeah! You earned that shit. You didn’t just crack him, Sugar–you sent him straight to hell."

She shrugs again, clearly trying to downplay the whole thing, but her proud smile is impossible to hide. "It wasn’t that big of a deal."

"Oh, it was a big deal, alright," I growl, shifting onto the bed on my knees. I stop just short of looming over her, trying to keep my tone light even though my blood’s heating up again. "You kicked him so hard even I could feel it."

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